The place underfoot supposedly has a “view” (something the residents are supposed to enjoy seeing). If one stands in front of the place, straight ahead is the top parts of the string of old houses across the street. To the right some more houses sit with backside there for viewing. They are not “lovely homes” although not what’s classed “trashy.”

Then there’s the side to the left. (That’s supposed to be the view.) It’s a fairly big river that is always a muddy brown with ripples that show that it’s flowing. In what’s sort of the left front corner of the view is a bridge that the government plans to tear down, and it does look rather beat up. There’s constant traffic, often trucks, on it.

Due left (across the river) there’s a coal yard (a barge’s usually there, too) and often a freight train goes snaking past the area a bit more distant. It’s all to be ignored, since what one is supposed to enjoy is the side of a ridge that’s to the right and covered with (distant) trees and a shiny skyline (above the left) that is Cincinnati, Ohio.

While some of this has been said before now, it merits the repeat to explain that nothing in sight suggests uplifting viewing nor what some call worthwhile activities. Elderly means still alive, and while some are happy to just exist, life isn’t much without doing something worthwhile. Enter some kind of volunteering (like support Aviation Trail).

“…Dust thou art….” it was said Wednesday. Well “Adam” and “Eve” by extension may have been dust to start with, but a look at the way things go now shows two living entities in merger (together) becoming a single living “thou” existing thereafter. Of course, if the “thou” stops living there’s the common state of decomposition or a turning to dust.

There is no intent here to go into a Biblical or religious hassle, but when something clearly isn’t dust (although it may very well be chemical elements) to begin with, it’s an erroneous premise even if the difference’s some electrical energy that’s there at the start. There is no “thou” sans both the elements and the energy together in one being.

Not only is the “starting point” with living entities, but living things (animal and plant as well as human) have the natural power to turn dead things (most food is dead, just not decomposed) into a living thing (themselves). That is much more than is implied in that standard introduction to Lent. Possibly some revision is needed in the wording.

One big reason things die is that the world around them or even in them stops supporting them. Simple example: with something like a fire, smoke can overwhelm the oxygen. No oxygen and air breathing creatures die because the way the creature functions is with oxygen. It isn’t necessarily a punishment for a “thou” to die, if it’s no environment.

A Christmas essay would be fitting. It will be a day past Christmas next week. But, the world does have a wealth of Christmas tales already. Meanwhile, someone reading might have need for some point mentioned, so more notes. Please see previous weeks’ commentaries (below) for other matters that can be a concern in a hunt for a new place to live.

10. Rent receipts. It’s not rare to find that paper rent receipts are not automatically given. Indeed, a place may not give them at all, so it pays to clear up the matter at the beginning. Evidence of payment apart from bookkeeping systems a place uses may need to be set up. Regardless of management assurances, things do happen once in a while.

11. Animals. Whether one wants one or not, many policies about animals can become a concern. A dog park at a place obviously limits the usage of the area to the dogs and the owners unless one wants to associate. For any owners, it’s good. A clean bill of health for the critter’s probably a need, with extra vet bills. A deposit is likely needed.

12. Maintenance. Emergency maintenance is a must, and it isn’t that easy to get if a place tries to economize there with just one person for many apartments. There may never come a time for it, but how many people there are on staff and what’s included is a fair question. (Burned out light bulbs that can’t be reached need maintenance personnel).

Tomorrow, of course, is St. Nick’s day which is well worth mention, but some folks may want more hunting hints. It’s best to continue them. A quick review, look for community telephone, HVAC units and a public bathroom. Life is okay without them, but they can make things better, especially, given little other choice, HVAC units. Now, more items:

4. Food place. A supermarket next door isn’t needed, but there should be something nearby to get some item or other for near emergency food. That might be no more than a gas station with some stuff, a fast food place or a drug store with some items. It’s easy to run out of things to eat at inopportune times. Even a small restaurant’s something.

5. Outside space. While this isn’t too important for any person quite able-bodied and thus able to get around, once health problems start showing up (which is likely with old age) going places becomes difficult. Meanwhile, the space apartments have is not actually much, as a rule. Escaping outside, weather permitting, may develop into necessity.

6. Ample public transportation. There’s a key word there namely “ample.” It can mean taxi as well as bus. While a person who still drives might not think it important, come problems with the car, public transportation is it and bus service every two hours (which may be the norm in outlying areas) is not too convenient (bus schedules to be sure).

Scattered around in this literary masterpiece of deathless prose, more or less as it came to mind, there are assorted items about what someone in the market for “senior” living (or maybe disabled) might want to keep in mind during that looking. It seems reasonable to create a list of stuff to consider. (It will take more essays.) The first items:

1. Community telephone. This might be a pay telephone of some sort, office extension or even independent landline a residents’ association maintains. Regardless it’s a phone anyone in the building can use if one is needed by someone who has none to use. That might be as one moves in or out and/or permanent to save money if the income isn’t much.

2. HVAC units. HVAC stands for “heating, ventilation and air conditioning.” They’re glorified space heaters and in place they take care of small apartments at temperatures a resident wants. If a place has central heat (and possibly air conditioning) that runs if/when property management is inclined to turn it on or off. A person may need other.

3. Public bathroom. Some places do have them, some don’t and they can be a good thing to have around. Service from nurses, caseworkers, etc., do get needed and they can have restroom needs while present. If an apartment complex has one, the worker can less embarrassingly for him/her choose that, rather than what is in the apartment one occupies.

Contrary to some opinion, the most important day’s news is the local crime report, particularly theft and violence of major proportions, especially if successful. This informs people where there may be danger. Any other danger to the public, such as an accident causing air or water pollution over an area, is also of sizable importance as a rule.

Other things of importance, but not so much as those, boil down to what affects people, the general public as a whole but not necessarily all people. That includes many things from the weather to taxes. Something like missing persons is not news but something that needs publicity in hopes of help to find them. Other items can be publicity, too.

The point is who is or is not running for a public office, especially locally, is not really a big news item short of something questionable. Entertainment matters, generally, aren’t news, and who got married or divorced is of no real consequence to anyone else and not really worth one’s time for some attention to it. There’s other useless, too.

It may not be a case of “If there’s a market for it.” The buyers in this case may simply be seriously mislead. It’s there, so it’s assumed it’s what’s important. And, that’s because it’s supposed to be what’s important. One thing a person can do is “walk on by” if it’s of no personal value immediately seen. It takes time find what’s of value.

Property managers run rental property, especially if it is multi-unit or complex size. It may or may not be an owner acting as a property manager regardless of the size, but a big place or corporate conglomerate most likely just hires someone. They are supposed to see to it not only that the rent’s collected, etc., but that the place is livable.

To an extent managing a big piece of real estate isn’t too much different from managing a house. There’s plumbing to maintain in workable order, often (not always) grass to be mowed and snow to be shoveled, taxes to pay if it is not a government owned property, and so forth. If the place has many units, there’s simply more and the pay’s not bad.

Being on good terms with the property manager is important since he/she has the power to evict. Prompt rent payments are important (it is, after all, a business deal) but many other factors figure into it. The underlying problem with being “on good terms” with a property manager is that they often unexpectedly up and quit, at times very quickly.

It’s not unusual to have turnover in office staff. People move on, retire, etc., and paying rent is just monthly (if that) contact. However, persons with an ax to grind could and have complained to management just because they find a neighbor to be disliked. And, it doesn’t take those “good terms” to be finding notion for or turning in a bitch.